City-state of Antar
The great city of Antar, widely known as the capital of the world, is perhaps the most important city on the mainland. Before the Second Demon War, Antar was a relatively small city but after the war ended and refugees from mostly Vhenan and Tolrania arrived and settled in, the city saw massive expansion within the next 200 years. Antar gave settlers what they needed and rarely turned away those looking for a fresh start in life. Villages started forming around Antar and supplied the city with food and merchandise. It earned its reputation as an open and fair city that gave everyone an equal chance to thrive and prosper in life. However, this reputation has also brought in many criminals and those that would seek to exploit these possibilities. The fast growth of Antar has also given the city significant power among the southern kingdoms, mainly Náraleth, El Sherdan and Vonrim. All of the major southern powers have their own representatives within the city. Antar is seen as the perfect neutral ground to discuss affairs between kingdoms that might not be on such good terms with each other. It also helps that Antar has the largest market and best trade routes available and its value in trade cannot be ignored. The power within Antar is divided within four distinct parties; City Guard, Mage's Guild, Antar Merchants and Worker's Organization. All of these parties have their own registered members and inner councils and the ruling committee of Antar is comprised of those chosen among these four different councils. It is customary to have the committee consist of 12 to 20 members from these councils with a few additional honorary members from Náraleth, El Sherdan, Vonrim and the nobles of Antar. These honorary members do not have the power to vote on important matters but have the power to influence the decision-making process of the committee. As the ruling committee of Antar is comprised of four different parties, each of these parties has a clear job that they have to fulfill within the city. The City Guard is a well-organized body of soldiers and mercenaries who keep the city and various surrounding villages around it safe. The City Guard of Antar has seen the most growth out of these four organizations in recent years and its power is stretched very thin across the lands. Because of its ever-increasing duties, the City Guard has had to lower the standards of recruitment which has caused a bit of corruption within them. The Mage's Guild is obviously tasked with magical research and alchemy and usually works closely with the City Guard, as the help of mages is sometimes required in suppressing various threats to the city. In addition, the guild is tasked with education, bookkeeping and taking care of the growing library of Antar. The Antar Merchants are experts in financial matters and so their biggest job is regulating the trade that goes in and out of the city. The merchants set tariffs for various merchandise and also calculate taxes within the city. The Worker's Organization keeps the rights of the common in check and makes sure that workers are not overtasked or mistreated. They are in close contact with the villages surrounding Antar and the organizations largest task is to give a voice to the people as to prevent any larger inner conflicts from building up. Through the combined leadership of the City Guard, Mage's Guild, Antar Merchants and Worker's Organization, Antar has been able to reach a powerful position in the south. It has connections stretching from the west coast all the way to the east and the growing military might of the Antar City Guard is beginning to rival the power of other nations. Many predict that Antar will expand into a true nation and lead Énelya into a new age in the future. While this may be true, the problems of Antar's rapid growth have already begun to show. Criminal organizations, corruption, racial tensions and limited resources all stem from the growth and open nature of Antar. It also doesn't help that Antar has to now also act as an intermediate between Náraleth and El Sherdan, causing more problems within the ruling class. The coming years will surely determine its fate and whether or not it can continue as an independent power in the south. Category:South Category:Southern kingdoms